No. 4. James Goueri's Letler to Gen. Richardson on Farming. 



117 



adopted exclusively, or in part, as circum- 

 stances may justify, and carried out with 

 skill and spirit, would soon chanofc the cha- 

 racter of our farming from the monotony of 

 the dull and stupid practice of merely sow- 

 ing and reaping grain, to a varied and inte- 

 resting pursuit, as animated, as it would be 

 enlightened and profitable. 



Suppose a man in the possession of some 

 100 to 150 acres of tolerably good land in 

 the nciglibourhood of Richmond, how shall 

 he make that land support his family com- 

 fortably 1 Not I am sure, by sowing some 

 20 or 30 acres of wheat to reap about 15 

 bushels to the acre — 30 or 40 acres of corn 

 at 40 bushels to the acre — rye and oats in 

 proportion, and the keeping of 10 to 12 head 

 of ill favoured cattle — had he to pay a rent 

 of but S200 a year, he could not pay it, un- 

 der such a practice. Well then, suppose 

 the same farm as fit to raise wheat, &c., as 

 above, should be put under a diflferent prac- 

 tice — say begin with some 12 or 20 head of 

 grade or improved cattle, and a thorough 

 bred young bull — if the capital be small, the 

 cattle can be selected of the finest of the 

 native breeds — choosing them for their fine 

 forms, the property of milk, and easy feed- 

 ing — the young thorough bred Durham bull 

 is held to be indispensable ; his calves will 

 be at least half blooded. Every fine heifer 

 calf should be raised, the bulls sold. If 

 grazing were intended, the bull calves of 

 even half blood should be kept for steers ; 

 but I contemplate this farm as considerably 

 dairy, a little truck or horticultural, &c. In 

 two or three years the bull should be changed 

 for another young full blooded Durham: this 

 new bull and the heifers of the former bull 

 will produce an improved stock; and in two 

 or three years more another change of bull 

 will bring a stock of cattle, if care shall 

 have been taken, that will be worth a consi- 

 derable sum of money. In all this time they 

 will have cost nothing more than the same 

 number of inferior cattle would have cost ; 

 while the sales made of those that can be 

 spared, and the intrinsic value of those on 

 hand, would, under a fair valuation, amount 

 to a sum that would surprise many : and this 

 result is produced at the trifling sum found 

 between the price of a yearling Durham 

 bull calf, and a common one. So much for 

 the cattle on this farm. But it may be ob- 

 jected, there are too Hiany cattle on so small 

 a farm ; — that this is not the case, I shall 

 attempt to show, and offer my practice as 

 reported, in proof. The increase in manure 

 from such a stock, if properly husbanded and 

 applied, will increase the crop of grass, corn, 

 &c., three-fold. It would occupy too much 

 time to give even a sketch of what tiie root 



crops have done for England, Ireland and 

 Scotland. Why, then, cannot we attempt 

 this culture on a small scale in tliis country 

 — in Virginia, if you please 1 Turnips there 

 will grow well as a fall crop, and it strikes 

 me that the sugar beet could be raised also, 

 as a spring crop, to advantage. The cooling 

 manure of the cow stable, mixed with muck, 

 scrapings of the yard, with sprinklings of 

 gypsum, and light dressings of lime, would 

 produce good crops of these roots and ruta 

 baga. If this be so, who then can fear to 

 be overstocked with 20 to 30 head of cattle, 

 on a farm of 100 acres arable land ] Four 

 or five acres devoted to this culture, would 

 produce as much winter provender for cattle 

 as some twenty could do in the ordinary 

 way. Then for summer, red clover and or- 

 chard grass, lucerne, and corn, sown broad- 

 cast, cut green, and fed to the cattle, will 

 be found to be equally profitable, and save 

 much land for hay, grain, corn and oats. 

 Under good management, with such a stock, 

 in such a climate as Virginia, the land 

 should be made to yield 80 bushels of corn 

 to the acre ; 30 to 40 of wheat, in the ab- 

 sence of fly and rust ; and of rye and oats, 

 and hay in proportion — by good manage- 

 ment, I mean in the main, deep ploughing, 

 judicious manuring, and careful seeding. 

 The hay and corn fodder should be carefully 

 secured for winter; and if there could be 

 kept a simple steaming apparatus to steam 

 the corn-stalks, with the roots, it would be a 

 great saving. The milk and butter that in 

 a few years might be sold, together with the 

 cattle that could be spared, ought to produce 

 a pretty round sum. If to these be added 

 the produce of a well cultivated vegetable 

 patch, and the market wagon kept regularly 

 going with the milk and butter, fruits and 

 vegetables, to the city, there could be no 

 doubt of success. But who among you will 

 put to his hand first, and demonstrate this 

 practically ] 



Those who live at a distance from a mar- 

 ket, and have large farms, should turn their 

 attention principally to breeding and graz- 

 ing ; they should not separate these two 

 branches. It is but too common for the gra- 

 zier to depend upon the drover for his sup- 

 ply of cattle ; in that way he can never be 

 assured of the good feeding properties of the 

 young cattle he purchases; better by far to 

 select a good bull, the character of whose 

 breed he can depend upon for easy feeding 

 and early maturing, and progress steadily 

 and patiently for a few years, and in that 

 time he will have possessed himself of a 

 breed that will show good proof of his at- 

 tention and skill. I am persuaded that the 

 improved Durham steers, under proper man- 



